Somalia Government Prosecutes Journalist Abdalle Mumin despite Calls to Drop Charges

The Somali government has started the prosecution of Abdalle Ahmed Mumin, press freedom advocate and freelance journalist, despite mounting pressure to have the charges dropped.

Mumin, the Secretary-General of the Somali Journalists Syndicate (SJS), a press freedom group, is facing charges of bringing the Somali state into contempt, instigating disobedience of government orders, and nonobservance of government orders.

On Wednesday, January 4, Mumin was presented before the Banadir Regional Court in Mogadishu with his lawyers, who strongly opposed the case as lacking merit but meant to curtail press freedom.

Africanews.com quotes Mumin’s lawyer Ali Halane: “Today was the first hearing of the case of our client Abdalle Ahmed Mumin. Indeed this case is having a public interest because it involves the constitutional rights of the right to freedom of expression and it is a human right,” said Halane, who briefed the media

He added: “We have heard the charges brought by the office of the attorney general. We shall make our argument in the next hearing as the court told us.”

Meanwhile, press freedom and human rights groups are mounting pressure to have the charges against Mumin dropped immediately.

The organisations have penned a joint letter addressed to Somali’s Attorney General Sulayman Mohamed Mohamud.

“During the last few months, My Mumin has suffered violations of his human rights, including arbitrary arrest and detention, denial of fair trial rights, and restriction of his right to freedom of expression. To this date, he faces ongoing threats and persecution from Somali authorities because of his work as a journalist and advocate for the right to freedom of speech.

“We urge your office to drop all charges against Mr Mumin. Continuing his prosecution not only casts a chilling effect on media freedom and journalism but also significantly contributes to the closing civic space in your country,” the letter reads in part.

The rights groups include Amnesty International, Article 19, Committee to Protect Journalists, Human Rights Watch, International Press Institute, Pen International and the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights.

Mumin was first arrested on October 11, 2022, after criticising a government directive restricting freedom of expression.